Ground Flaxseed Bread | Pane di Lino

This ground flaxseed bread captures the nutty flavor of flaxseeds in a light and airy sandwich bread.

This flax bread includes about 1/4 cup of milled flaxseeds, as well as a little bit of wheat bran. The flavor of this bread is exceptional, and the texture is light and airy.

Ground flaxseeds have a sweet and mildly nutty flavor, as well as lots of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and fiber. Some of my bread baking friends add a handful to every loaf of bread they make.

Plus, I learned a brand new word... mucilage! And mucilaginous! Evidently, mucilage is a gelatinous protein in some plants that is sort of a gum. It's often used in gluten free breads (guar gum and xanthan gum) to simulate gluten from wheat.

Ground flax seeds seem to have the same properties. Because of this, even though this bread has a hydration level of about 80 percent (which is really high for a sandwich bread), and is essentially a no-knead dough, the dough is very cohesive and easy to work with.

Bread Geek talk not withstanding, there's also the flavor. This bread is so good!

To get these square slices, I baked this bread in this 9 inch by 4 inch Pullman pan. If you don't have a Pullman pan (a pan with a lid), you can use an 8 1/2 inch by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan.

If you do use a Pullman pan, you definitely need to pay attention to the dough as it is rising. I almost lost track and nearly let the dough rise a little higher than the top of the pan. The middle of the dough should just reach the top of the pan before you close the lid and bake the bread.

I keep flax seeds, both whole and ground, in the freezer to keep them fresh. Otherwise, they can become rancid. I really like golden flax seeds, but brown flax seeds are more readily available. My favorite sources for both (whole and ground) are King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill.

If you try this recipe, I'd love your feedback!

Yield: 1 loaf

Ground Flaxseed Bread Recipe

ingredients:

• 370 grams (2 1/2 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
• 25 grams (1/4 cup) ground flax seeds
• 5 grams (1 tablespoon) wheat bran
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or table salt)
• 300 grams (1 1/3 cups) water
• 1 teaspoon oil

instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax, bran, yeast, and salt. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the water and oil. Add the flour mixture to this bowl and mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until the dough just comes together into a shaggy mass. 
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stretch and fold the dough over itself from all four "sides." Flip the dough over so that the seam side is down. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise until doubled, about 4 hours. 
4. Fold the dough over itself one more time, turn it over, cover it, and let it rise for one more hour. It should appear to be rising again. 
5. Oil the sides and lid of a 9 inch Pullman pan (or a one pound loaf pan). 
6. Deflate the dough on your work surface and shape it tightly into a 9 inch log. Place the shaped dough, seam side down, into the pullman pan (or a one-pound loaf pan), and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise for 90 minutes to 3 hours, until the dough barely reaches the top of the Pullman pan. Remove the plastic wrap and close the lid on the pan. Bake in a preheated 450 degree F oven for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 425 degrees F and bake for 15 more minutes. The finished loaf should have an interior temperature of 200 to 205 degrees F. 
7. Remove the lid from the pan and carefully slide the loaf out of the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. 

http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2018/01/ground-flaxseed-bread-pane-di-lino.html

Recipe adapted from The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook.